Food products such as breakfast cereals or cereal snacks are commonly in the form of dry flakes or similar shapes. The products are stored and conveyed to customers in cardboard boxes carrying product name, advertising and regulatory information such as ingredients.
The cereal products themselves are contained in plastic bags within the cardboard box which serves to prolong shelf life and prevent infestation.
The cereal products are loaded into the plastic bags by packaging machines which form a plastic bag from a roll of suitable plastic material. The bag is formed in such a packaging or gusseting machine and once formed the cereal product can be dispensed into the bag and eventually loaded into the cardboard box.
During the process, the product is dropped in the bag from a supply tube. If the quantity of cereal product (for example) to be packed is important or if the shape of the cereal product presents sharp edges like in square pillows, the plastic film can be damaged. This may cause slits in the bags leading to quality issues and reduction of the shelf-life of the product.
To address these problems manufacturers have the choice of increasing the thickness of the film or alternatively of reviewing the complete process.
The present inventors have recognised that increasing film thickness has disadvantages in terms of manufacturing costs and material usage. On the other hand, reviewing the complete packaging process needs important financial investments and time.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a packaging apparatus and method that allows cereal packaging to be improved and manufacturing costs reduced.